Curved hose is typically manufactured by positioning a pre-cut length of hose carcass over a curved mandrel and then heating and curing the carcass to define a curved hose. A conventional mandrel 100 is illustrated in FIG. 1. The mandrel 100 typically has a collar 102 at one end to attach the mandrel 100 to a curing rack.
To form a curved hose, the mandrel 100 has a configuration either identical or overbent in comparison to the desired final configuration of the hose. The curved hose, and thus the mandrel 100, may have both straight 104 and curved 106 portions. Because of the combination of both straight 104 and curved 106 sections and the complexity of the required hose curvatures, insertion and removal of the hose onto and from the mandrel may result in damage to either the hose or the mandrel 100 because of the force required to insert or pull the hose onto or off of the mandrel 100.
To assist in insertion of the hose carcass onto the mandrel and removal of the cured hose from the mandrel, lubricants may be applied to either the mandrel or the inner surface of the hose. Other proposed solutions include forming the mandrel from a memory metal that straightens out to permit easy installation and removal of the hose length. Another mandrel solution is by forming the mandrel from a plurality of sections threaded unto a rod which can then be taken apart following curing to release the curved hose.
However, even with all of these solutions, damage to the hose or the mandrel may still occur. Additionally, when the hose is removed following cure, straight portions of the cured hose must still be pulled over a curved section of the mandrel and curved portions of the cured hose must still be pulled over straight sections of the mandrel. Pulling the hose through different configurations in this manner can affect the final configuration of the hose.